a bit about therapy
what to expect from your sessions
What will we talk about?
Are you worried about what to say when you begin in therapy? That's perfectly normal! It's up to you to choose what you want to talk about. Most people find that things unfold quite naturally in conversation. That said, it can take a few sessions to settle in, so it's important to give yourself time.
Sessions take place via Zoom
I work exclusively online. Having therapy from your own home can feel more comfortable and relaxed, and it saves you valuable time on your commute. It also means that we can continue our work together if either of us are travelling. I have worked with clients both face to face and online, and I have found that the therapeutic connection is every bit as rich and meaningful online as it is in-person.
What's the experience of therapy like?
Psychotherapy can be a wonderfully life-affirming experience. As human beings, we have a deep need to feel safe and secure. We have a burning desire to tell our story, without hiding anything, in a relationship where we feel fully accepted.
We long to feel heard and understood. To know that our life story matters. Therapy can be that place. Something changes inside of us when someone takes an interest in how we feel, what we think, what's important to us. That thing that you could never tell anybody, for fear that they would leave you or think badly of you.
The therapeutic relationship continues week to week. It's your space. I will not be intrusive and start talking about MY experiences. That's how therapy is different from talking to a family member or a friend.
Therapy is a place for pain, but also for joy.
As children, we all needed someone to be with us when we cried. So that we didn't have to cry alone. And we needed someone to rejoice with us, when good things happened. Someone who took delight in seeing us grow.
Someone who wanted to hear about our ideas and dreams for the future.
Not all of us were fortunate enough to have this in our early years. But it's still time for repair. You can have those things now, in therapy. Support and cheerleading in one. Someone to help you make sense of the tangled up stuff, and all the emotions that you were never sure about.
So that you can embrace life to the full.
New spaces available now. DM me to book your free 20-minute initial consultation.
the hexagon system
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I developed my own model, the Hexagon system, for helping individuals with early relational trauma and C-PTSD.
The Hexagon system is a simple yet effective way to facilitate holistic, in-depth healing and growth within the context of a supportive therapeutic relationship.
As you continue on in therapy you may become more aware of how these areas are often interwoven, and begin to identify the particular areas that you wish to explore in more depth.
The theoretical foundations of my work
a truly holistic, integrative model to help you heal
My way of working is relational and conversation based, and I integrate somatic (body) work and the creative arts in my practice.
The Hexagon system is informed by established trauma-informed models. However, existing models tend to focus on acute, single-even trauma and, as such, I've found them somewhat lacking when working with early relational trauma and C-PTSD. Informed by my own clinical experience, I designed the Hexagon system specifically for this purpose.
The theoretical foundation of my work is truly integrative as I was trained in psychodynamic and humanistic-existential theories, theories of child development, the therapeutic arts, as well as science-based findings from neuroscience (the study of the brain and the nervous system).
The foundation of my somatic work is the polyvagal theory, which helps you move from emotional dysregulation to emotional regulation, so you can feel safe and connected.
I also incorporate parts work (based on Internal Family Systems theory) and inner child work in my practice to help you find a sense of self and heal the emotional wounds from the past.
Finally, I draw on the structural dissociation model by Janina Fisher, which helps us understand and work with the stress responses fight, flight, freeze, collapse, please and appease, and attach/cry.